Glossary of Hose Reel Terms

BEVEL CRANK

A bevel crank is a hand crank handle that sits at the front of the reel, as opposed to the usual side position. A bevel crank allows the reel to be operated from the front of the reel, useful in situations where the side of the reel is not accessible due to where the reel is mounted. A bevel crank can be used as a manual rewinding option for motorised reels.

CONSTANT TENSION

Constant tension reels are specifically designed with an extremely durable spring that is able to handle constant, repetitive cycling movements. Constant tension reels are particularly useful for use on crane arms and telebooms; applications where the hose is required to move in and out of the reel hundreds of times a day.

DIRECTIONAL GUIDE ARM

This is a feature particular to our custom made jetting reels. The guide arm is an extendable bar with rollers on the end which is fitted to the bottom of our J Series jetting hose reels. This arm is particularly useful in jetting applications where the reel is usually truck mounted however the hose needs to be fed into a drain at or below ground level. The guide arm acts as an extension of the roller guides, reducing drag and friction as the hose is rewound onto the reel, sometimes from wide angles. The guide arm helps reduce strain on the rewinding mechanism by preventing the hose from rewinding at an extreme angle.

ELECTROMECHANICAL CLUTCH

The electromechanical clutch is a DC powered clutch designed to allow the operator to engage and disengage the drive system from the reel, at the flick of a switch. Disengaging the drive system isolates the gear drive from the reel, reducing the torque required to free turn the reel. Our design all but reduces this torque to zero allowing an almost free wheeling movement of the spool. This lessens operator fatigue when deploying long or large diameter hoses by hand.

ENGINEERED COMPOSITE POLYPROPYLENE

This is the special heavy duty plastic that we use to mould the cases of our Gen III and Gen IV reels.The plastic is anti-static, flame retardant, corrosion resistant and UV stabilised.

EPDM HOSE

EPDM is a particular type of rubber hose that has excellent insulating properties and heat resistance, making it ideal for areas where hot substances may come into contact with the hose. Our AWHD1210 reel, an air/water hose model fitted with EPDM hose, is particularly suited to areas where welding spatter can affect the hose.

FINISHED EDGE STEEL SPRING

The steel spring that we use for our spring retractable reels is a long thin piece of sprung steel that features a rolled edge on the long sides - this rolled edge results in a stronger spring (as opposed to a straight edge which can snap more easily).

FLANGE

The flat, circular plate-like ends on the edge of the reel.

FLUID PATH RISERS

A number of our steel hose reels feature a uniquely designed fluid path that allows for a gradual tangent between the hose and the fluid path, reducing hose stress and flow restrictions at the connection point.

FOOD GRADE HOSE

Any hose reels that feature 'food grade hose' come with a specially lined white hose that is made specifically for food, beverage and food gas applications. The hose has a special inner tube that does not taint the water (or other medium being transferred) with a rubber taste, making it suitable for food processing and manufacturing as well as for drinking water.

FRICTION BRAKE

A friction brake is a device that enables the operator to add or remove drag to prevent 'over spooling' or free reeling - this is when the hose coils too loosely onto the drum. The friction brake is a small curved block that slows the rate at which the hose rewinds onto the drum, ensuring neat and even coiling of the hose.

GEAR GUARD

A gear guard is most commonly seen on our C, T and ST Series steel reels and refers to a curved steel cover that fits over the exposed gear mechanism of the reel.

GEARED HAND CRANK

The geared hand crank drive incorporates an additional gear ratio of up to 4:1 between the hand crank handle and the spool of the reel, reducing operator fatigue when hand-winding large diameter or long lengths of hose.

HOSE BUMPER

In spring retractable reels, the hose bumper is the round or donut shaped rubber fitting that stops the hose from retracting completely into the reel.

HOSE CAPACITY

Hose capacity is referred to where a reel is supplied without hose as standard (ie: most steel reels). Although the reel comes bare without hose, the length and ID of the hose is still mentioned in the product details area because each reel is designed to accommodate a specific size and length of hose, and not all sizes are interchangeable. The size and length of hose that will be used on the reel has a bearing on all sorts of specs - not just the overall size of the frame.

HOSE ID

The internal diameter of the hose. This is the most common method of referring to hose sizes in Australia.

LATCH PAWL

The latch pawl is a black thumb shaped component inside our spring rewind reels. The pawl clicks into depressions in the cog-like ratchet locking ring to enable the hose to be locked at the required length.

LEADER HOSE

A leader hose or inlet hose is the short length of hose that joins the reel at one end to the fluid or gas source at the other end, for example a metre long length of hose that joins a garden tap to the G1218 garden hose reel mounted alongside it.

LEVEL LAYER REWIND

This is a mechanical layering system fitted in place of roller guides that moves back and forth dynamically as the hose is being wound on to the reel. The level layer rewind system ensures the hose is layered perfectly on to the reel every time.

LIVE REEL

A reel that is intended to be used to transfer a medium, ie: there will be a fluid or gas running through the hose. Conversely, a storage reel is just that - one that is used simply as a storage solution for a hose. A live reel will always have a fluid path enabling the medium to get from the source, through the reel, to the business end of the hose.

MOUTHGUARD

The replaceable slot that fits over the front of the reel where the hose comes out.

PIN LOCK

A pin lock is a spring loaded pin on the side of the reel which, when engaged, prevents the spool from rotating (for example when the reel is in transit).

POWDERCOAT

SPP1 is our standard powdercoating spec, in our standard colour Blaze Blue. An SPP1 coating has been tested for salt spray to 1,000 hrs, phosphate etched, primed with E29 epoxy and powdercoated with PR12 polyresin material. SPP2 and SPP3 powdercoat is available on request - please ensure you let us know during the quoting process that you require this particular type of powdercoating. Detailed specifications are available on request.

SIDEPLATE

The sideplate usually refers to the flat oval shaped piece on either side of our polypropylene reels. The sideplate on the side of the reel where the fluid or gas source enters the hose is sometimes referred to as an inlet sideplate or a 'hex' sideplate (due to the hexagonal hole in the middle where the swivel fits). The tension sideplate is on the opposite side of the reel and is the area used for adjusting tension. The sideplates are removable (for maintenance) and replaceable, but please ensure you check the manual before attempting any maintenance.

REDUCTION DRIVE

The reduction drive system is an additional set of gears designed to reduce drive speed and/or torque requirements to drive the reel.

ROLLER BRACKETS

Similar to roller guides, roller brackets are small free-rolling guides that fit over the mouthguard area of the reel to reduce friction against the mouthguard as the hose is pulled in and out of the reel.

ROLLER GUIDES

Roller guides are the stainless steel tubes mounted on the frame of our steel reels, and their purpose is to ensure the hose is not subject to undue wear against the rigid frame. The roller guides rotate freely as the hose is wound on or off the reel, ensuring an even winding movement and exposing the hose to the minimum amount of friction.

TWIN PEDESTAL

A twin pedestal reel is one with two supporting feet with which to mount the reel, providing extra strength and stability (especially useful when the reel is mounted on a vehicle and subject to vibration and movement).

USABLE LENGTH

Occasionally we refer to reels, particularly the constant tension reels, as having a 'usable length'. The total length on the reel is truncated to a usable length on some reels, as a short length of hose needs to remain on the reel in order for the spring mechanism to work effectively.

Hose Reels

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ReCoila is Australia and New Zealand's premier hose reel supplier, with over 30 years experience and more than 3000 different reels, plus a custom hose reel design and manufacturing facility at our head office in Kings Park, NSW. Read more...